A Few Notes on Life and Books
Tomorrow in my self-defense class, we get to suit up and do scenarios with some police officers playing the villains.
So, I'm going to have to fight my way out of an incident or two tomorrow. One hand, it's really cool. On the other, I'm terrified. What if I faint or something? Or, more likely, freeze? The instructor has told us that, no matter, what else, we are not to stop fighting. Stopping means you've lost the fight, you've given up. So, I guess if I look at that way, I can probably at least do some really hard elbow strikes, since I've done that sort of thing before when I was younger and got in fights with my sisters. :D
I've also kind of got a reputation to make/uphold. The instructor says the small ones are always the most dangerous for some reason. I'm kind of hoping I'll get riled and turn into some sort of wild and fierce fighter. More likely, though, I'll just look ridiculous and knock my glasses off or something. :P ;))
Compared to that all, the rest of life is pretty busy but not all that exciting.
I went and got my cap and gown for graduation today. It actually wasn't as expensive as I was expecting, which was good. So, Lord willing, I'll be walking and getting my bachelor's degree in about two-and-half weeks. :) Grad school is still kind of up in the air, with the possibility of a door open where I wasn't expecting it, so we'll see how it turns out. :)
However, before all that, I've still got a few things to do, such as finishing up my senior design project and related report and presentation, a project and report for another class, a homework and a quiz, an exam, and then some finals. Haha, fun times. :P ;))
On the non-school side of things, I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Like, a lot more than I should be. :P
Such as R. J. Anderson's Arrow, on which I will rant a little now.
First off, I'm not trying to tear up the book---the book is fine. I just kind of took issue with some of the characters and their development/decisions. Also, I'm afraid some of the stress of school and everything may've magnified some of the things that rubbed me wrong in the book, as evidenced by my following comments.
ARGH!!!! Really? Really? A rehash of the human/fairy romance idea? I know it wasn't meant this way, but it also came across to me that Timothy was really only interested in Rhosmari because she looked like Miriam. I'm sure he did (at least as the book progressed) like her for herself, but we don't really see that, and it still just feels like a placeholder for Miriam. The whole Rhosmari/Timothy thing came out of nowhere, too, since she apparently saw him on the Green Islands but she's not mentioned (as far as I, and Timothy, can remember) in the previous book. I also thought too many things about Rhosmari came out of nowhere, such as the reason behind her father's death and her skill in archery.
I also feel incredibly cheated by Garan's exit from the story. I know killing off one member of a love "triangle" is common and easy, but to be honest, I kind of expected more from an author who hasn't taken the easy way out before (like with Paul in the wheelchair, and Peri/Knife becoming totally human). I also really liked Garan and thought it would've been a much more interesting love story to have him and Rhosmari learn to love each other, even with their broken betrothal---I don't think I've really read very many stories where friendship becomes a basis for romantic love.
I liked Mallow's redemption, but a lack of redemption for Martin and Bluebell's betrayal just bugged me. It's the author's prerogative to put in whatever surprises or character developments that she likes, but I was really hoping that Martin would be redeemed in the end. And Bluebell was just kind of out of the blue---she hadn't seemed that stupid nor, at the same time, that clever to be capable of that level of betrayal. But if Martin comes up again in the fourth book and is the love interest there, I will be...torn between joy at him finally being redeemed and incredibly frustrated by the turn of events.
On the upside, I've continued from the second book with better liking Paul and Peri's relationship. And Rob and Linden, as little as we seem of them, are fine too. And, hehe, Thorn and Broch were really cute in their one scene. :D It was also a nice change to have Timothy and Rhosmari's plan not work until the very end when they had to take a totally different tack.
Or Marissa Mayer's Cinder, about a cyborg Cinderella who's also an automail android mechanic.
Which I found pretty interesting. To be fair, a number of the twists or surprises in the book were predictable and not just because of the original fairy tale. However, I also didn't see some of them coming and I found the plot and characters interesting enough to keep reading. :) Also, the story was fairly clean, which I wasn't particularly expecting from a futuristic sci-fi "love" story but was a pleasant surprise. It kind of ends on a cliff-hanger, though. :P I'm definitely looking forward to the other three books in the series, even if they'll only be coming out one a year. ;( Meanwhile I will occupy myself by trying to figure out which fairy tale could be in a book titled Cress. I keep thinking watercress and spinach and salad which doesn't help me any...
Books...why is your siren song so loud? And so irresistible?
(Edited for clarification and spelling.)